Ed Sheeran has Anne-Marie to thank for “Shape of You”

Michael FurlongerAnne-Marie and Ed Sheeran are old pals who have both toured and written songs together. They’re such good friends, in fact, that without Anne-Marie, Ed’s massive hit “Shape of You” might not have happened.

She introduced Ed to songwriter/producer Steve Mac, who ended up becoming his co-writer on the song. So does she deserve some royalties for that?

“Yeah, I’ve asked them to buy me a car!” she laughs.

Anne-Marie describes how she made the connection happen.

“I love them both,” she tells ABC Radio. “I work with Steve Mac a lot and I basically just emailed him saying, ‘Can you work with my friend?’”

She says Steve was initially skeptical about this “friend,” but once she revealed it was Ed, he was on board. “Both of them are the best so it was a match made in heaven really,” she adds.

Anne-Marie and Ed are well-matched writing partners, too. They co-wrote Anne-Marie’s single “2002.” She says part of why they work so well together is that there’s a comfort level between them.

“I feel like he’s an amazing songwriter anyway, but when it comes to feeling comfortable in the studio that’s when the best stuff comes out and I totally feel comfortable around him,” she says.